


Born of Nightmares

by Script_the_Skeleton



Series: Hyrules Across the Ages [2]
Category: Linked Universe - Fandom, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: AU, Adventure, F/M, Link’s Awakening
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-22
Updated: 2019-11-27
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:14:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 17,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21517519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Script_the_Skeleton/pseuds/Script_the_Skeleton
Summary: Marin is plagued with nightmares almost every day, so she tries to distract herself by seeing the world. That is, until a group of Heroes run into her and she has pretend to be something she was not.She was born of nightmares to keep the world safe, and she would do it for him.Based of LinkedUniverse by Jojo.
Relationships: Legend (Linked Universe)/Marin (Legend of Zelda), Link/Marin (Legend of Zelda)
Series: Hyrules Across the Ages [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1308371
Comments: 21
Kudos: 126





	1. Siren’s Call

**Author's Note:**

> Based of LinkedUniverse of tumblr by Jojo. 
> 
> Thanks to all of those on discord for supporting me writing this!

Somewhere in the middle of the ocean, on an island that seemed like a paradise, there were two people. 

The first one was a boy in a green tunic with blond hair. He had a lock of hair that was also pink and had the brightest smile that ever graced the island. He carried a shield on his back and a sword in his hand, but they were tossed to the side for now. His name was Link. 

The second person was a girl in a sky blue dress and a pink ribbon. Her hair was a bright red, which complemented the hibiscus behind her ear well. Her singing was said to be the loveliest to ever exist. Her name was Marin. 

Currently, the two were walking on the beach, arm in arm. They were chatting about the going’s on of everyday life, not giving a care in the world. 

“The walrus fell asleep again!” Marin sighed, “can you believe it? You know, I think he does this on purpose.”

No response, Link was staring out at the sea, like he always did. Marin frowned. 

“Link,” she said softly, “what’s wrong?”

That broke him out of his trance, “nothing! Just admiring how much more beautiful you are than the sea!”

She laughed, “I hope I fit your standards, oh Hero of Legend.”

He smiled, “you do in every way and more.”

“Stop it,” she pushed a finger to his lips, “you’re making me blush.”

“I don’t th-“ Link paused and started staring up at the sky.

“Link?” Marin asked, concerned, “Link?!”

She looked at where he was staring. He was looking directly at the egg on top of the mountain. The Wind Fish’s egg. 

“You don’t have to worry about that,” she put on a fake smile, “I told you that it’s always been there.”

Link shook his head, “this is a dream. And the Wind Fish is going to wake up.”

Marin bit her lip, “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Are you tired?”

“I’m not tired,” he refuted, “where’s Tarin?”

“Uh,” she stuttered, “probably in the forest! Yeah, he’s usually there...”

“Marin, you know I love you, right?” He looked down. 

“Of course!” She beamed, “and I love you, too!”

He smiled weakly, “then, I’m sorry.”

With a quick kiss, he pushed her away and started playing on his ocarina. What was once a calming melody was now a haunting tune as it whistled. 

“Link?” Marin tried to stop him, “no!”

With one last look of goodbye, the world and Link faded around her. 

And then she woke up.

She bolted up in her makeshift shelter and cursed. Why did he always have to be so selfless, even in her dreams?! She sighed, that was her Link alright. 

With that, Marin got ready for her day. She started destroying her shelter made of leaves and fallen branches and packing all her stuff. Most of her items were ones that she either bought, or she had been gifted. 

She then got dressed. She changed out of her dirty clothes from sleeping on the ground in the woods into her adventuring outfit. Once she stuck her hibiscus in her hair, she grabbed her sword and headed off to where ever the path lead her. 

She was traveling in some place outside the borders of Hyrule, trying to discover new lands or see familiar ones once again. As she walked down the clearest animal made trail, she hummed and struck her lyre. 

“Tell me where is the road,” She sang as she kicked small rocks, “that I call my own. That I left, that lost, so long ago.”

Little did she know that a large group was heading in her direction and was heavily armed. 

“All these years, I have wandered. Oh, when will I know? There’s a way, there’s a road, that will lead me home.”

She hummed the next part, quieting as she picked up the whispers of another group. 

“After wind,” she didn’t stop and climbed onto a tree to hide, “after rain, when the dark is done. As I wake from a dream, in the gold of day.”

The group was close now, she could make out their shapes. Maybe seven or eight men, coming right for her. 

“Through the air,” she readied her bow, “there’s a calling, from far away. There’s a voice...”

They were in her sights. 

“... I can hear...”

She grabbed an arrow. 

“... that will lead me home.”

She fired.

The arrow imbedded itself into a tree right next to the tallest one’s face. The man, an armed and well protected knight, looked at it with disgust and searched for its sender. 

“Who’s there?” He boomed, “monster or Hylian?”

“These wood are supposed to be very dangerous and no one goes in them,” Marin disguised her voice a bit, making it lower and deeper, “why are you here?”

“I could ask the same,” the knight grunted. 

Another one of the group raised a hand to the knight and then looked around. 

“We happened to come from another country that way,” he lied, “and decided to take the more scenic route.”

“Yeah, right,” Marin replied, “there’s nothing for miles, and I know. I’ve been in this forest for a near month and have yet to find civilization.”

“Are you lost?” A short child asked. 

“No,” she smiled wistfully, “just traveling.”

“Why did you fire on us?” The knight asked. 

She frowned, “needed to get your attention in a way that I could hide while doing it. In case you were dangerous.”

“We aren’t dangerous,” another boy shouted, “you don’t have to be scared!”

“I’m not scared,” she smiled and decided it was safe, “just cautious.” 

She put away her bow and climbed out of the tree. She circled around the trunk and revealed herself to the group. 

“Sorry if I scared you, though,” she waved and spoke in her normal voice.

From the group’s perspective, they were treated with the sight of a girl around 17 years old and smiling brightly. She had vivid red hair pulled back into her sky blue cap with a hibiscus behind her ear. She wore a green tunic with a red kilt like skirt underneath and pegasus boots. In her hand she held a lyre and she wore a red necklace. She was fully equipped with a bow, sword, shield, and probably a lot more in one of her enchanted pouches. 

“Hello,” she greeted, “my name is Marin.”

They all stared at her in confusion. Some looked at her familiar cap. 

“Hi!” One of the boys waved, “my name’s Wind.”

She nodded at him and looked at the others, “but why are you all so far away from anything?”

“You wouldn’t believe us,” a different knight crossed his arms. 

She raised an eyebrow, “try me. Hyrule’s a magical place, you know. I have been all around the world and there’s nothing I haven’t seen!”

“Then,” a brunet asked, “have you met someone named Link?”

What? She froze, why were they looking for him? Did they need help?

“Nope!” She lied through gritted teeth, “never met a Link.”

“What about someone called the Hero of Legend?”

They really wanted to torture her, didn’t they? These, she did a quick mental count, eight boys and men were starting to annoy her. But, if they were asking for Link, they needed help. 

“Don’t know about Hero of Legend,” she murmured, “but if you need a hero, then I could be of assistance.”

“You?” A boy in a cape questioned, “are you the Hero of this time?”

“Sort of!” She nodded, “I’ve helped Hyrule, Hytopia, Lorule, and Labrynna.”

“Really?”

Why didn’t they believe her? Those jerks! 

“Yes,” she insisted, “if you want to walk back all the way to Hyrule, then you could ask her Highness about it.”

“I believe you!” Wind cheered. 

“Great!” Marin clapped her hands, “now, why don’t you introduce yourselves and we can see how I can help!”

One by one, the group said their names. She already knew Wind’s, but she met the other boy, who she learned was older than her somehow, and his name was Four. The two knights were called Time and Warriors and the other two who talked were Twilight and Sky. The brunet was Hyrule, an odd name, and the one who didn’t speak at all was Wild. 

“Nice to meet you!” She thought aloud, “are those like nicknames or something? Not that I’m judging!”

Twilight chuckled, “that’s what we need help with, and why we are looking for the Hero of Legend.”

And they told her a story that would’ve been strange back home, but to her it was on par with anything else in her life. They told her they were all reincarnations of the Hero’s Spirit and they needed help to stop a monster that was causing terror through the timeline. They figured that all the Heroes together could stop it. 

All of them were Links, she thought, the past lives of her’s. And they were too late. 

“The Hero of Legend is the only one we haven’t met yet,” Hyrule explained, “see, I know him from my time, so I assumed we would meet him at some point, but...”

Marin frowned, “I’m sorry, but the only time I’ve ever heard of a Hero was before I moved to Hyrule. I heard he... died years ago.”

Not a lie, she told herself, there was a story of a Fallen Hero from a couple hundred years ago. 

“Oh,” Hyrule said quietly. 

“Yeah, but I still offer my assistance. Even if it’s just getting you back to civilization.”

“Thank you!” Sky cried, “we’ve been walking for three days.”

She laughed, “well how ever you got here, you are lucky I was here to help. I hope none of you are scared of teleportation.”

“Oh, goddess, no,” Twilight groaned and Wild pat him on the back, “don’t patronize me, Wild!”

With a quick song plucked on her lyre, the entire group was picked up in a swirl of magic and deposited in front of a house. Underneath them was blue sparkles, a portal that would lead Marin back to her spot in the woods. She silently thanked the oracle Nayru for blessing her lyre and allowing her to make her own magic songs. 

“Welcome to this time’s Hyrule,” she gestured to the land around her, “this is my house and behind it a little ways is the castle. Kakariko is to the east!”

“Thank you,” Sky repeated as he collapsed on the ground. 

“No problem,” she waved it off, “is that all you need or?”

Twilight and Time looked to her and to each other. They seemed to be having a mental conversation. After a while, Time looked at her and spoke.

“Why don’t you come with us?”

“I’m sorry? I don’t understand,” she said, confused. 

“If you are a hero in this time,” he replied, “then you could very well be the final piece we need to defeat this shadow. Your name may very well come to be the Hero of Legend.”

Say no, a part of her was saying, you owe them nothing. 

They’re Link, another part whispered, you owe him everything. 

“I know traveling through time and leaving your home is a lot,” Twilight started. 

“I’ve done both before,” she interrupted, “it’s just... can you give me a little time to figure out my answer?”

“Of course,” Time nodded. 

“Thanks,” she walked to her house, “meet me here tomorrow at noon, I’ll have my answer then.”

She opened her door and entered, quickly closing the door behind her. She then slid to the ground and started to cry. 

She was in *his* house, pretending it was hers. Legally, it was, as the Princess gifted it to her when they first met, but it still felt wrong. Now, she was pretending to be him, the Hero of Legend. She was disgracing his name and legacy. 

But they needed help, and Link would help them, so she...

She got up and went to bed. She would figure it out in the morning.


	2. Overture

“Link, why don’t we leave our things at the house.”

“Why?”

“It’ll be freeing! Imagine the feeling we’ll get with nothing holding us down to the world!”

“Do you just want me to leave my ocarina?”

“...please?”

“I’m sorry, Marin, I can’t do that. Ocarinas are sacred where I come from.”

“I know, but please don’t play it, just for today.”

“...”

And, like every night, Link played the Ballad of the Wind Fish, waking Marin up. With a sigh, she rolled out of bed. 

As she got ready, she looked around the house. It was mostly unchanged from the day she first arrived there, since she spent so much time somewhere else, but she still found something new to look at everyday. 

In the corner there was a photo of Link and his sister, it was hidden behind a bookshelf, so she didn’t see it for the longest time. She smiled at how happy he looked. Princess Zelda and him were once the closest siblings ever, even though they were raised apart. 

In another part of the room was a crack in the wall. To anyone else, it was a mistake that she probably should’ve fixed, but to her it was a tiny lingering connection to Link. She hoped Ravio would visit soon, maybe that could stop her from leaving. 

Oh, yeah, that... She immediately became sour. For as much as she wanted to see the world and have adventures, pretending to be Link was a little much for her. But, it was her responsibility now.

She stood up straight. You have saved multiple countries, she told herself, you need to act better than this! So, she put on a smile and marched out of her house. 

She had a couple hours before the Heroes were due to meet with her, so she would go on with her schedule that she had whenever she was home. 

First, she would walk north of Hyrule Castle and visit the Sanctuary. She would kneel in the chapel and pray and then go outside to the graves and pay her respects. She went to Link’s family’s lot, a small group of graves that were his birth mother’s and uncle’s. 

She had never met his family, them being gone before her time, but she still honored and thanked them for raising Link. She planted flowers on their headstones and laid her hibiscus in the middle of them. 

After that, she headed to the castle itself and visited with Princess Zelda. It was her Highness’ time for tea and she always had the door open for people to chat. 

Marin bowed and was hugged by her when she entered. She always liked how friendly Link’s sister was. While they talked, she avoided mentioning why she was back early on her trip or bringing up the Heroes she met. 

“One way or the other,” she explained, “I will still be going on an adventure.”

Bidding the Princess goodbye, Marin went to her finale task of looking for baby maiamai. They were always going missing, so she would find their hiding places and returning them to their home. 

Today, she found only one, who squirted happily at being caught. The maiamai was content with being dropped in the river and would find its way back on its own. 

Happy once more, Marin walked back to her house and found the Heroes waiting. 

“Marin!” Wind jumped up, “she’s here!”

“Hi, everybody!” She giggled, “sorry I’m late.”

“We were early,” Time shook his head, “it is our fault.”

“So?” Wind asked eagerly, “are you coming with us?”

“Uh,” she hesitated, “will it be dangerous?”

“Most likely,” Warriors answered. 

“Are other people in danger?”

“Yes,” Wild grunted softly. 

She raised her head high, “then I’m coming! It’s what a Hero would do.”

It’s what Link would do, she mentally added. Besides, this might actually be fun!

“Yes!” Wind pumped his fist in the air.

The gates of friendship then broke open, as Marin was bombarded by welcomes and sometimes hugs. They all were very nice to the newest addition. Even the almost silent Wild said something. 

“At least I’m no longer the newest,” he smiled. 

“Marin?” Hyrule tugged her sleeve. 

“Yes?” She turned around. 

He spoke, “I just wanted to say, it’s an honor to meet you. I’ve grown up hearing stories about you and your adventures.”

She bit her tongue, “don’t mention it, please.”

Once the welcoming calmed down, she addressed all of them. 

“What now?” She smiled, “adventure? Time travel?”

“You sure are excited,” Four smirked. 

“I love doing this,” she nodded. 

Suddenly, Warriors snapped his fingers, “that’s where I remember you from! You were a part of the War of Time, weren’t you?”

She muttered to herself, “the War of Time? Oh, yeah! I only fought in one battle of it though, I was there by accident thanks to messing up some magic.”

Warriors replied, “I remembered seeing you very briefly, you were an amazing fighter.”

She blushed, “thank you.”

“Anyway,” Twilight redirected the conversation, “you were the last Hero that we knew of, so now we need to track the shadow. Has there been any problems in your Hyrule as of late?”

She snorted, “when isn’t there problems. Just last spring we had an invasion from an alternate dimension and after that I was in a sister country and their Princess was cursed. We have nonstop problems here.”

“Anything stranger than normal? Not from this time?”

“Nope,” she shook her head, “I mean, anything not from this time period was brought here by me, but nothing else.”

Twilight huffed, “then I guess we have to cycle back to Time’s Hyrule. That’s where the shadow attacks the most.”

“And how do we get there?” Marin questioned, ready to jump into a new quest. 

Sky spoke, “normally we go through time periods based off portals that the shadow created, but that’s all the way back on the edge of the country.”

“I couldn’t use my magic to return all of us there,” Marin explained, “I can only bring myself back, but I can bring people forward anytime.”

“Wait,” Four pondered, “you said you time traveled before. How?”

She proudly held up her lyre, “Tune of Ages, a song that allows me to travel to and from the past and present.”

“Can you use that to bring all of us to Time’s era?” Hyrule asked. 

“Yes!” She grinned, “but again, I can only bring myself back to this time.”

“That’s alright,” Time spoke, “there’s an abundance of portals in my Hyrule that we should be able to use once there.”

“Then let’s get going!”

“This is going to be awesome!” Wind smiled at Wild, who humored him and agreed. 

“Ready?” Marin asked everybody, “your time is about a thousand years before mine, so this’ll be the farthest I’ve ever gone.”

Quickly and beautifully, she played the Tune of Ages and they were sucked back in time. Landing in front of some gates, Marin looked at everything in amazement. 

“It’s,” her widened, “so big! Hyrule is so full of trees and mountains blocking the way, but this is a plain and I can see everything.”

She directed her comment to Time, “it’s beautiful.”

“Thank you,” he gave a small half smile, “the last time we were here, there were monsters trying to attack the Lost Woods. We should check there first to see if they still are.”

“Onward!” Wind and Marin shouted together and ran in the direction that Time pointed.

As the group approached the woods, they could indeed see monsters investigating the borders. Some bokoblins sniffed the fog that seeped out of the trees and sometimes pushed one another into it. Every once in a while, a skull kid would chuck a rock and hit a monster in the head. 

“What’s the plan?” Marin asked, pulling out her sword, a sharp rapier with a hilt inspired by the Master Sword. 

“Look,” Warriors pointed to a black lizalfos, “a problem we’ve been having are corrupted monsters. They are more violent and their blood is black, but even worse is that monster. We’ve been fighting it since the beginning and we think it works directly for the shadow.”

“Kill it then?” Marin asked. 

“No,” Four leered at the monster, “we need to capture it and see if we can question it.”

“It won’t be easy,” Wild stated, “that thing has overtaken a whole squadron of soldiers.”

“Thinking about the odds just makes one sad,” Marin shrugged, “I bet we can do it.”

“Confident,” Warriors patted her shoulder, “I like that. Well, charge!”

And they attacked. Wild stayed back as the archer and Hyrule worked as a distraction for Wind. Time and Twilight tag teamed with each other and so did Warriors and Four. Sky went to the largest collection of monsters, since he had the superior weapon. Marin held her own and was slicing through monsters like butter. 

The crowd of monsters was huge, but they either fell or fled as the Heroes descended. Slowly but surely, the group made their way to the black lizalfos. 

“You call this hard!” Marin mocked and looked at the monster, “bring it!”

Her and the lizalfos entered into a dance, with the monster jumping back and Marin slashing forward. She could hear the others coming behind her. 

“Meet me on the battlefield,” she sung, “even on the darkest night. I will be your sword and shield, your camouflage, and you will be mine!”

“You like singing?” Sky noted as he appeared at her side, “my Zelda does to.”

“It calms me,” she explained before starting again, “echoes and the shot ring out, we may be the first to fall. Everything could stay the same or we could change it all.”

Two other Heroes, Wind and Hyrule, showed up. They managed to surround the lizalfos and he was trapped. 

“Meet me on the battlefield,” Marin ended her song by locking the monster with her sword around its neck. “Told you we could do it!”

The rest of the Links ran up to meet with them. They all stared at the monster with disgust. 

“This was too easy,” Warriors sneered, “it would rather jump off a cliff then get caught. These monsters were also not corrupted, that’s why they were so easy to kill.”

“Weird,” Marin held her sword tighter instinctively, “why?”

“Could be a trap,” Twilight growled, “it’s very smart.”

“Then what now?” Sky asked, “should we be talking in front of it?”

“I say we kill it,” Warriors suggested. 

“Seconded,” Twilight agreed. 

“Wait!” Four protested, “we need to talk to it.”

“It clearly doesn’t understand Hylian!” Warriors pointed out, “so how could we question it?”

“Let’s take a vote,” Wind chirped, “I say talk.”

In end, Warriors, Hyrule, Twilight, Time, and Wild voted for killing. Wind, Four, Sky, and Marin voted on talking. 

“Would you do the honors,” Warriors said to Wild. 

Wild nodded and pulled out a glowing blue weapon out of nowhere. He steadied his aim and looked Marin in the eye. 

“Make sure to dodge,” he whispered, “3, 2, 1.”

A lot happened in the short tine span. Marin dropped her blade to roll out of the way at the same time Wild swung. In that short second before what would’ve been death, the lizalfos scurried away into the woods. Wild quickly pulled out his bow with glowing arrows and fired. He missed and hit a tree, which popped out of existence. 

The lizalfos was nowhere to be seen. 

“I thought the monsters couldn’t make it into the Lost Woods?” Twilight looked to Time. 

“Only really powerful monsters can,” Time answered and looked at where the lizalfos fled. 

“Why did it stay still but flee then?” Marin put a finger to her chin, “that’s odd. You would think it would want to flee when we were distracted.”

“I told you we need to question that thing!” Four tossed his hands into the air, “who knows when we will see it again.”

“I’ll try to track it,” Time spoke up, “Twilight, take everyone to the ranch over there. Tell the owner that I sent you.”

No one argued as Time walked into the mysterious fog and Twilight led the way to the middle of the field.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m gonna have a running theme of Marin singing a song every chapter to fit with my chapter titles being related fo songs. Most of the songs are going to be from the LU discord playlists. The past two one’s have been The Road Home and Battlefield.


	3. Act One Finale

“What is this place?” Sky asked as he looked at the sign hanging above the entrance. His written language was different than Time’s. 

“Lon Lon Ranch,” Twilight answered. 

“Why are we here instead of Castletown?” Four looked back at the distant city, “no inns?” 

Twilight shrugged, “I ain’t arguing with him.”

“Oh. My. Gosh.” Wind suddenly gasped and pointed, “they have pigs!”

“And cuccos!” Marin jumped in excitement. 

“The demons!” Warriors backed away. 

While Marin and Wind started petting the farm animals, Twilight sighed and knocked on the door. It opened, revealing a middle aged woman with bright red hair. 

“What can I do for you fellas?” She asked with a heavy southern accent, “and please don’t kill my animals!”

Wind stared at her as he continued to hug the biggest pig. 

“Uh,” Twilight answered, “our friend Link told us to come here and-“

“Link?” She immediately bolted upright, “what has he gotten into now? Alright, come in.”

“Thank you.”

She moved out of the way of the door so they could go in. Inside showed a quaint house that was packed with stuff. It had a soft, cozy feeling. 

“My name’s Malon, by the way,” she supplied, “and I run this ranch.”

“Wind, Marin!” Hyrule shouted, “we’re going inside.”

The two ran over and they all walked in. It was a tight fit, with nine people, but they somehow managed. Malon closed the door and crossed her arms. 

“So,” she began, “what is Link doing?”

“Investigating the Lost Woods,” Warriors explained, “a monster we’re tracking ran there.”

“Right,” Malon nodded, “and who are y’all? How come I’ve never met any of you?”

“That’s a secret,” Four apologized. 

She rolled her eyes, “please, I know all ‘bout Link’s travels, so cut the bull and tell me.”

“We’re time travelers,” Marin smiled, “I don’t know about everyone else, but I come from a thousands years in the future.”

Malon’s attention was drawn to the only girl in the group. Weirdly, Marin thought, Malon looked like an older, more rough version of her. The names were similar as well, but that was probably a coincidence. 

“Time travel, huh?” She frowned, “he can’t catch a break, can he? So, what’s y’all’s names?”

With only slight paused at how easily she accepted that information, the group told them their names.

“So,” Malon put a finger to her lips, “a bunch of odd names. Is your’s weird, too?”

Marin shook her head, “those are all nicknames, but my name is just Marin.”

Malon pursed her lips, she recognized the semblance. She was about to say something when the door opened again, revealing a downtrodden Time. He immediately perked up, though, at the sight of Malon. 

“Darling,” Malon ran over to him, “you’re back!” 

And everyone stared in shock and confusion as the two embraced each other in a kiss. Warriors silently mouthed “what the f-.” When they ended their kiss, the two held each other lovingly and Time addressed the others. 

“Everyone,” he smiled, “this is my wife, Malon.”

“You have a wife?” Wind shouted, “since when?!”

Malon smirked, “since forever. Now, are you gonna tell me why time travelers are in my dining room or not?”

Time frowned, “it seems the gods won’t let me rest...”

He told her the story. He also told everyone that the lizalfos disappeared and no fairy or skull kid saw it. 

“There must be a portal on the border of the woods,” he theorized, “but I couldn’t find it.”

“What now?” Twilight asked. 

“Well,” Time looked at his wife, “if it’s alright with you, Honey, these Heroes need a place to sleep for the night.”

Malon giggled, “the farm is always opened. Nice and soft hay there to sleep on.”

There were some groans and the smile of her face told them that she was joking. 

“They can use the guest room,” she waved, “it’ll just be a little cramped.”

They assured her that it would be alright, especially since the glare from Time told them to suck it up. Once in the room, they all laid out their bedrolls that some had on them. Marin was just going to sleep on the floor, like she usually did when she traveled. They were brought a quick meal to eat when they were settled and then talked between each other. 

“Goodnight, everybody,” Malon said hours later when the sun finally went down. 

“Sleep well,” Time nodded and they went to their own room, whispering to each other. 

“Night!” Wind called back and he immediately passed out. So did Sky and Hyrule. Warriors was reading some book and Four was sitting upright with his eyes closed, so he wasn’t sleeping yet. Twilight just laid down and fell asleep slowly. 

Marin, on the other hand, couldn’t sleep. She never could around other people, it made her feel vulnerable. So, once everyone went to bed after another hour, she stealthily walked out of the house. Tip-toeing out the door and she sat near the gates, looking at the forest. 

She sighed and started to sing a lullaby to calm her.

“Some truths, over time, can learn to play nice. Some truths are sharper than knives.”

She leaned on the wooden fence. 

“Some truths we only see in the corners of our eyes. Some truths we wish we could hide.”

She stood up at the sight of something in the distance, a glowing pair of red dots in the trees. They were moving forward and becoming more clear. 

“Some truths can save us, some take our lives. Some truths are fire and some truths are ice.”

She could make out a form, it was the shape of a person. She instinctively grabbed her sword. Time said no one could enter the woods, right? It could just be a forest sprite or something. 

“No matter what category you fit into, truth's got its sight set on you.”

She could see that the dots were now eyes, as they blinked when they hit branches of the trees. Soon, it was completely in the open. 

“If truth is north,” she tried to make out what it was, “then I am true south. I can’t figure it out, gods know...”

She trailed off as she realized what the shape looked like. She could see it in the moonlight. 

“Link?”

For some reason, the creature with a dark motif and glowing red eyes looked exactly like the Link she knew. He had the same smirk, the same cap, the tunic, everything!

“Link,” she lost her train of thought and hopped the fence. What was he doing here? How was he here?!

She used her pegasus boots to get to the woods faster. Link was just standing there, unmoving. He noticed her and just stared. 

She zoomed off and slowed down as she reached where Link was standing. He was smiling at her, and it was exactly how she always dreamed. 

“Link!” She reached forward, “I can’t believe you’re here- huh?”

When she tried to grab his hand, her hand phased through it. Link’s body turned to mist at her touch and reassembled itself afterwards. 

“Who are you?” She sadly asked. This was not Link. 

The sweet smile turned into a sour sneer as Link, the Dark Link, pulled out a replica of Link’s sword. Marin grunted when she had to block the attack it sent. 

“Where is he?” The Dark Link growled. Its voice seemed distorted and was almost hard to understand, “he is supposed to be here!”

“What?” Marin scrunched up her face and she slashed forward. 

“The Hero,” the Dark Link elaborated, “the Hero of Legend.”

She froze. 

“You are not supposed to be here, he is!” It repeated, “I opened a portal to the Hero of Legend’s time.”

“The portal?” Marin connected the dots, “you were the lizalfos, that’s why you were easy to take down! You knew- you wanted all the Heroes here! Why?”

It tried to stab her side, “where is the Hero of Legend?!”

The sword hit its mark and tored through Marin’s tunic. It cut into her left side and blood started to pour out. She clutched her injury and gritted her teeth. 

“He’s dead,” she glared, “whatever you need him for, you can’t have him! You just have me...”

The Dark Link seemed to be thinking. He lowered his sword and looked at his hands. 

“That’s not true,” it hissed out, “the Hero of Legend is not dead!”

Marin laughed sadly in its face, “I was there! I saw him die in front of my own eyes, so-“

“Lying won’t protect him!” The Dark Link interrupted and it raised its sword agin. “Where. Is. He.”

“Dead!” Marin shrieked, “he’s in the Sacred Realm now.”

“Fool,” it shook its head and attacked. 

The next few minutes were centered around the two fighting each other. Even though it hurt to do so, Marin tried her best to injure the creature that looked like Link. Whenever hit, the monster registered no pain, it wasn’t human. 

Marin, on the other hand, was human. She winced when she leaned to her left or if she was stabbed again. The Dark Link really was messing with them earlier, this was way harder. If this went on any longer, she would be in danger. 

Think, think, think! She told herself, you’ve fought shadows before, what do you do?

She never figured out the answer. Eventually, she had her weapon knocked away and she was pinned to the ground.

“Link...” it spoke harshly as it leaned in, “you have met him. Where is he?”

Dead. What else could she say? Marin closed her eyes, waiting for death. 

But it never came. Upon opening her eyes, she saw the Dark Link smiling wickedly. It was also laughing softly. 

“Ah,” it pointed a finger at her, “there he is!”

“What?”

“The Hero of Legend is not dead,” it continued, “or else I could not take this form. He is simply in here.”

It poked her forehead and stood up. Marin took the freedom to move away from the shadow. 

“Now, this is a bummer!” The Dark Link huffed and swung his sword around idly, “this will put a hold on my plans so I can figure out how to get him out of you, but...”

“What are you talking about?!” Marin cried and reclaimed her sword. 

It waved her off, “just count your blessings that you can still live. You carry the Hero of Legend, so I don’t think killing you would return him.”

“The Hero is dead!”

“Yes, yes,” the shadow muttered, “you live in that denial a little longer, if you wish. For now, leave, I care nothing for your little playgroup if it is not complete.”

“Augh!” She shouted and ran to attack the Dark Link. 

Just before reaching it, the thing smirked one last time using her Link’s face and vanished into smoke. Her sword hit nothing but ground and tears started pouring out of her.

What did it mean? Link was inside of her? He wasn’t dead? That’s impossible! Both her and him knew the consequences of his actions. Even Her Highness said she could no longer sense Link. 

After a while, she tried to collect herself. She used some of her medical supplies to wrap up her injuries and she would buy a potion when she could. She cleaned her sword of the mud that had gotten on it and stood up. 

By the time she headed back to the ranch, the sun was rising. She decided that the shadow must’ve been lying, or it was confused. She wouldn’t tell the others about this and, by the next time they would meet the lizalfos, she would hint to what it really was. 

She snuck back into the house and was able to get back to her spot before anyone noticed. She didn’t sleep at all that night, but it wouldn’t’ve been the first time. 

Tonight was ironically usual for her. Every night she dreamed of Link. Tonight was just a nightmare. Link couldn’t be alive. 

...right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y’all ready for a time skip? I KNOW YOU’RE READY FOR A TIME SKIP!


	4. Encore

Months later...

The time on the ranch passed without further incident. The next day they said their goodbyes and looked for portals and hints of the lizalfos. They never saw it again and only occasionally ran into mutated monsters. 

Over time, Marin connected with the group, learning their secrets and quirks. She found out about Four’s shrinking ability by accident when she was playing with some Minish. She also found out about Wind’s strange ability to see spirits, since they talked so much. 

They, in turn, learned stuff about her. When they talked to Her Highness one time, Zelda let slip that Marin was from an island named Koholint. They bugged her for details about her native home, but she refused to explain. They also realized that she had some odd friends, like Ravio, who burst into her house one day while they were there. 

“Mrs. Hero!” He exclaimed, falling through the crack in the wall, “I need help!”

Marin sighed and ignored the looks that the Links were giving her, “really, Ravio?”

He pouted, “Hilda and I got into a fight. I might’ve blown up one of the towers... can I stay here until she’s no longer mad?”

“Who’s this?” Wild asked. 

Marin introduced them, “this is Ravio, he’s from an alternate dimension of ours. Ravio, these are past and future lives of the Hero.”

“They are past lives of Mr. Hero?” He asked before being quickly shushed by Marin, “sorry, Mrs. Hero.”

Thankfully, no one heard him. Ravio left a couple days later, but the group had many questions about him that she never answered. 

Overall, though, she was getting along swimmingly. And they all still believed her to be the Hero of Legend, sans name, which would come in time, being none the wiser to the truth.

Or so she thought. 

One day, Hyrule was talking with Four. 

“Have you noticed something off with Marin?” He asked. 

Four looked up from sharpening his sword, “no, why?”

Hyrule shook his head, “nothing, it’s just, she’s acting strangely. Remember when her Zelda talked about her late brother, Marin shushed her?”

“That’s odd,” Four agreed, “but maybe she was close to him and doesn’t like thinking about it.”

He shrugged, “maybe, but what about the fact that she flinches whenever we introduce her as a Hero?”

“What are you saying?”

“I don’t know, it’s just weird.”

“Why don’t you just ask her. She is your predecessor!”

“That’s the thing! I don’t think she is.”

“What?” Four dropped his sword in shock, “of course she’s a Hero.”

“A hero, maybe,” Hyrule explained, “but not a Hero like us!”

“Are you saying she’s an imposter?” Four asked. 

“All I’m saying is that out of all the Heroes, why is there only one girl named Marin and the rest of us are all boys named Link?”

“How can you prove that,” Four shook his head, “how can you prove that Marin isn’t the Hero of Legend?”

“Uh,” Hyrule scrambled for an idea, “ask her Zelda?”

Four laughed, “I doubt she would tell us anything, they seem to be close, but if you want to try.”

A day or two later…

“Why are we doing this?” Four groaned, staring at the fancy door. 

“You said I should?” Hyrule smiled innocently. 

“Yeah, but why am I here?”

Before he could respond, Marin came into view. She was wearing her everyday clothes of a blue sundress with sandals and was talking to... Zelda? She looked exactly like Zelda, but she had purple hair and red eyes. 

“I thank you for hosting me, Lady Marin,” the Zelda nodded, “especially on short noticed.”

“It’s alright!” Marin smiled, “me and Her Highness are glad to see you anytime, Your Highness.”

The two then spotted Hyrule and Four, both of whom bowed uncertainly to the new Princess. 

“Does Princess Zelda have a sister?” Hyrule asked in confusion. 

“Oh, no,” the Zelda waved her hand, “we are not related in a biological sense. My name is Princess Hilda of Lorule, you must be the other Heroes that Lady Marin has told me about.”

“Her Highness is from the same place as Ravio,” Marin explained, “she’s that world’s version of Princess Zelda, so that’s why they look the same.”

“So,” Four thought, “who is Ravio’s counterpart?”

Marin froze while Hilda continued to talk. Hyrule took note of that. 

“I do not know,” she answered, “I have never seen him and Sir Ravio has never mentioned him, so I assumed he is either dead or not around.”

“Yes,” Marin reanimated, “Lorule and Hyrule have many differences, so not everyone has a counterpart. I don’t have a Lorule double either, for example. Now, why are you two here?”

“Um,” Hyrule gave a side ways glance to Four, “we wanted to talk to your Princess Zelda about...”

“I wanted to know where the main Minish clans were,” Four lied, “your Hyrule has such a different geography than mine that I do not know the various Minish societies and where they are here.”

“Oh,” Marin beamed, “Her Highness can definitely help you with that!”

“What are Minish?” Hilda asked curiously. 

“They’re a group of tiny creatures that leave stuff in the grass and help you,” Marin explained, “only good children can see them.”

“Must be why I’ve never heard of them,” Hilda replied morbidly, “Lorule hasn’t had a good child in ages, but hopefully that’ll fix soon. Now, Lady Marin, we must be going if I am to see your villages.”

“Yes!” She looked to Four and Hyrule, “I’m showing Her Highness around Hyrule for the day. Have fun talking with the Princess!”

“Bye,” Four waved and Marin bounced down the hallway with Hilda following gracefully. “That was odd.”

“Definitely,” Hyrule nodded, “Ravio and Marin both have no counterparts?”

Four shrugged and knocked on the door to Zelda’s office. 

“Come in!” She called and that started the meeting.

The two Heroes sat in chairs across from the Princess’ desk and she offered them tea. They accepted and, after greetings, Hyrule spoke. 

“Your Highness-“

“No!” Zelda interrupted, “please call me Zelda. Do you have any idea how long I’ve been trying to get Marin to call me that? It got even worse when she met Hilda, she’s somehow more formal than her when it comes to titles.”

“Okay, Zelda,” Hyrule smiled, “we actually wanted to talk about Marin. How long have you known her?”

Zelda thought for a moment, “about two years now? Give or take a couple months.”

“How did you meet?” 

“Well,” she started, “my servant Impa came back from her sudden trip to Labrynna, saying that she had been cursed and a stranger had saved her and the country. She brought the stranger back and that was Marin. I’m so glad we met, because she saved me and my kingdom when Ganon attacked for the second time.”

“The second time?” Four raised an eyebrow, “what happened the first time? Who saved you then?”

Zelda’s face fell, “our knights fought valiantly, and many were lost.”

“But there was no Hero?” Hyrule prodded. 

“I was kidnapped for most of the battle,” Zelda smiled widely, creepily, “I have no idea what happened. As for the Hero, I believe the girl traveling with you is who you call the Hero of Legend.”

The two looked at each other. She was definitely dodging their questions and wording her answers carefully. The smile she gave was one that said “don’t question further.” Four sighed. 

“What about your brother?” He asked, “if you’ve only known Marin for a short time, how come she knew your brother?”

Zelda clutched her dress under her desk, “what gave you the idea that they knew each other? My brother has been dead since before I met Marin.”

“Marin shushed you when you brought him up,” Hyrule explained, “and she has a photo of him. It’s of you two and he’s wearing a red tunic and Marin’s cap.”

Zelda’s face fell. She slowly stood up and opened the curtains behind her chair. The red velvet moved to reveal an oil painting of her and her brother. The brother’s face looked exactly like Ravio’s, except he was blond. He was wearing the before mentioned outfit and, on his back, the hilt of a sword could be seen. 

“That’s the Master Sword!” Hyrule stood up, “the sword that Sky has.”

“Yes,” Zelda whispered sadly, “this was my brother. He was separated from my family because of his bastard status and raised by his mother’s brother without the knowledge of his origins. It was only when he saved me that we found each other once again, and brother and sister were reunited. This was my brother, Link, the Hero of Legend.”

“Link?” Four’s eyes widened, “your brother was who we were looking for? The Hero’s dead?!”

“Yes,” Zelda closed the curtains and sat down, “he saved Hyrule before going to help our ally of Holodrum. The last time I saw him was after that, where he said he was going to meet a friend’s sister in another country.”

“How did he die?” Hyrule sat down, too. 

Zelda shook her head, “it is unclear. He insisted on taking his own raft, which was basically five logs strapped together, and there was a storm soon after he said goodbye. The storm must’ve hit him, destroyed his weak vessel, because we only heard news of his death when... when Marin told us he had washed up on the shores of her island.”

“We’re sorry for your loss,” Four bowed his head, “but why would Marin lie to us about being a Hero? Did she also lie about saving other countries? Is this one big hoax?”

“No!” Zelda snapped, “Marin did save Hyrule, Lorule, Hytopia, and Labrynna. Did she ever say she was the Hero of Legend?”

Hyrule almost answered yes, before slouching. Four came to the same conclusion. 

“No,” Four shook his head, “she said that she knew of no Hero of Legend, but she could help us if we needed a hero.”

“But even so,” Hyrule sat back up, “if she isn’t a Hero, why did she act like one.”

Zelda shrugged, “I think she felt guilty over my brother’s death. That’s why she went to Labrynna, the country he was heading for. She found out where he was going and wanted to complete his unfinished business. It spiraled out of control from there. When she came to Hyrule, Ganon attacked soon after, and the rest is history.”

There was silence. It was a lot of information to take in, and the two Heroes were slowly processing it. Zelda leaned onto her desk, moving aside the long forgotten tea. 

“What will you do now that you have this information?” She asked, “regardless of her title, Marin still acted selflessly in all of her adventures. She doesn’t like people knowing of her connection to my brother, so that’s probably why she never said anything about not being the god-chosen Hero.”

“We’ll have to talk to her,” Four decided, “I just need to hear from her about why she wasn’t honest about the Hero being dead in the first place.”

“Thank you for your time,” Hyrule stood up and did an awkward half-curtsy, half-bow. 

Zelda gave a small smile, “you’re welcome. Hopefully the next time we talk it is with kinder topics. Now, do you need someone to show you out, or?”

They assured her that they needed no help and left her office. Once she thought they were out of sight, the Princess slunk back into her seat and silently cried at the memory of her brother. But she soon cleaned herself up, put on a smile, and went back to work. She had a kingdom to run after all, no time to think about matters in the past. No matter how much they hurt. 

“So,” Hyrule spoke first when they left the castle, “that was something.”

“Yeah,” Four nodded absentmindedly, “how do we tell the others?”

Hyrule didn’t know. It wouldn’t be a pleasant conversation for some of the Links, that’s for sure.

There was something still bugging Hyrule, though. They found out who the Hero of Legend was, and who he wasn’t, but they still didn’t know who Marin was. 

She was a singer from Koholint Island. She discovered the washed up body of a Hero on her shores. She, for some reason, followed up on the Hero’s last wishes and saved countless lives. 

But, who was she? Where was her island? Why did she have no Lorule counterpart when Ravio’s was now accounted for? What about the rest of the unanswered questions?

There was still the unexplained reason that Ravio called her ‘Mrs. Hero’ instead of ‘Ms. Hero’. There was no reason for why she didn’t tell them the truth of the Hero’s death. 

And there was the fact that Zelda was still hiding something about how close Marin was to her family. Why would Marin take a dead man’s hat? Why did she have a photo of the two in her house?

There were too many questions. Hyrule’s mind was spinning with them and he had no idea what direction he would end up facing. 

He was snapped out of his thoughts we he heard Marin singing. The noise was coming from the direction of Kakariko Village, where she was with Hilda. 

“I gave you my music, made your song take wing, and now how you've repaid me, denied me and betrayed me. He was bound to love you when he heard you sing.”

He listened, the words clouding his mind and confusing him even more. She sounded so sad while singing. 

“Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime. Say the word and I will follow you. Share each day with me, each night, each morning. You will curse the day you did not do, all that I asked of you.”

He shivered as the song ended on a foreboding note and they walked in the opposite direction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ironically, I forgot that the song I used is an Act One Finale song and that was last chapter’s title. I stand by it a little bit because I was using a reprise, which would fit the title of Encore. The song is All I Ask of You (Reprise) from the Phantom of the Opera, specifically the movie. 
> 
> Last chapter had the song South by Sleeping at Last, which I think I forgot to mention.


	5. Eleven O’Clock

“I’m sorry,” Warriors paused, “what?”

“Marin isn’t the Hero of Legend,” Hyrule repeated slowly, “it was the Princess’ brother.”

“But,” Warriors scrambled for a retort, “Marin’s a monster on the battle field and saved whole countries!”

“We aren’t saying she isn’t a hero,” Four tilted his head, “just that she isn’t the Hero of Legend.”

Hyrule and Four told them all they knew. The story of the Royal Family, Hilda and Ravio, and what little they knew of Marin. 

“How can a Link just die?” Sky asked quietly after they finished, “I thought the gods wanted us alive?”

There was an uncomfortable silence. Time’s face was as blank as ever and Wild started fiddling with his hair. Twilight put a hand on his ward’s shoulder. 

“It’s alright,” he looked to the group, “does this change anything? She has done nothing but be helpful, so what if she isn’t a Hero?”

“She lied,” Wind looked at his feet, “why would she lie about this?”

“We could ask her,” Wild suggested. 

“If she didn’t tell us at first,” Twilight shook his head, “she would have no reason to tell us now.”

Hyrule mused, “what about Ravio? We could ask him.”

“That oddball?” Warriors thought about it, “he’s pretty loyal, but he does break easily under pressure. Is he here?”

“His Princess is,” Four answered, “he might just be hanging out out Marin’s house.”

“Then let’s check, before she gets back.”

The group solemnly walked to her house. Hyrule’s head kept swiveling around to make sure Marin wasn’t near. Wind looked downtrodden, like he couldn’t believe she would’ve mislead them. 

Soon, they reached the house and knocked. The door slammed open a second later and Ravio was smiling at them. His happy face disappeared for a second when he saw who was at the door, but he quickly regained it. 

“Mr. Heroes!” He beamed, “Marin isn’t home right now, but what can I do for you?”

Four smiled, “we wanted to talk to you about something. It’s important.”

Ravio gave a fake gasp, “important? Me?! Aw, you guys care. Come in, come in!”

They all squeezed into the house. For some of them, it was their first time, so they looked at everything. Time noted the Majora’s Mask on the wall with hate, but he sensed no malice from it. 

“Welcome to the Former Ravio’s Rent and Sale Shop!” Ravio did some jazz hands, “I’m your owner, Ravio!”

“We know,” Twilight frowned, “Ravio, what do you know of the Princess’ brother.”

And a bunny in headlights was he. Ravio tripped over his long scarf and stuttered the whole time be talked. 

“I don’t- I never,” he tried to collect himself, “the Princess has a brother?”

None of them were buying it, clearly. He sighed and covered his face with his hood. 

“He’s my double from Hyrule,” he admitted, “I never met him, though.”

“Does that mean Hilda’s your sister?” Four asked. 

Ravio shook his head, “no, Lorule and Hyrule are very similar, but we have key differences. While Link and Zelda are related, me and Hilda are not.”

“Why do you call Marin Mrs. Hero?” Hyrule spoke next. 

“Because she’s a Hero!” He cheered, “what else would I call her? Lady Marin, like Hilda does? That’d be silly.”

“But why Mrs. and not Ms.?”

Ravio grew silent again. 

“Are you aware that Link was the Hero of Legend, and not Marin?” Time broke the silence.

Slowly, he nodded, “yes.“

“How did you find out?”

He sighed, “when I first came here, I was looking for Hyrule’s Hero, hoping he would save my home. I knew that I was supposed to be the Hero, but I couldn’t do it, so I looked for someone with my face. I met Mrs. Hero and she said she could help me. I tried to explain I was looking for Link. That’s when she told me that he was dead.”

“Oh,” Sky said softly. 

“It’s alright, though!” Ravio perked up again, “I never met him, so I don’t have to be that sad! And Mrs. Hero is the nicest person ever.”

“Still,” Four frowned, “hearing that an alternate you is dead, that’s not pleasant.”

Ravio leaned in, “speaking from experience, I see.”

“That still doesn’t answer why you call Marin Mrs.,” Hyrule brought the conversation back on track. 

“Oh, yeah,” Ravio remembered, “well, it’s because she and Mr. Hero were in love before he died! He’s Mr. Hero; she’s Mrs. Hero. Did you not know this?”

No. No, they did not. The group showed various forms of shock, confusion, and annoyance on their faces. It was concerning for Ravio. 

“Did I say something wrong?”

“Zelda told us that Link washed up dead on Marin’s island,” Hyrule explained, “that they never met.”

Ravio pouted under his hood, “I shouldn’t have told you that, then! Mrs. Hero probably wanted it a secret. I only know because she couldn’t lie me, and even Hilda doesn’t know about Mr. Hero.”

“It’s alright, Ravio,” Twilight assured, “we needed to know this.”

“Are you mad at Mrs. Hero?” he asked.

“That’s to be determined,” Warriors decided, “we need to talk to her.”

Ravio shuffled side to side nervously, “she and Hilda are supposed to back in an hour or two. I’m here to bring Hilda back to Lorule.”

“Thanks,” Hyrule muttered. 

“We won’t be mean to her,” Wind called on his courage and smiled, “she’s still Marin, whatever she’s called. She just lied...”

Ravio ignored Wind’s sour note at the end, “exactly!”

A couple hours later, as promised, the two girls walked in the door. Marin gave slight pause at everyone being her house, but pushed it to the back of her mind so that she could say goodbye to Ravio and Hilda. 

“Always a pleasure,” Hilda gave a small smile, “your country is beautiful, Lady Marin.”

“You should be thanking the people, not me, Your Highness,” Marin waved away the compliment, “have a nice trip back!”

Hilda nodded and gestured her hand to Ravio, “Sir Ravio?”

“Yes, Hilda!” Ravio moved his big sleeve to reveal a clunky golden bracelet. He put his hand on her’s and waved bye to Marin. “Remember, you can visit any time, Mrs. Hero!”

Marin nodded, “thanks.”

The two walked forward and vanished in a flurry of colors into the small crack in the wall. Marin’s whole demeanor relaxed and and she breathed a happy sigh. 

“I love Her Highness, but I can’t act like that all the time,” she turned around and her smile vanished, “what’s wrong?”

Everyone looked at each other. Who would speak first? Who would be the first to ask the question?

Apparently, it would be Warriors, and it wasn’t so much a question, more of a demand. 

“Tell us why you lied about the Hero of Legend,” he commanded like the Captain he was. 

“What?” She was perplexed before it dawned on her, “oh...”

She looked at Hyrule and Four, “is this why you were talking to Her Highness?”

“Sorry,” Hyrule apologized, “but something wasn’t right.”

“Well,” she huffed, “if you talked to her, then she must have explained that I never told you I was the Hero of Legend. I only lied about not knowing of the Hero of Legend-“

“Because you don’t want people to know you found his body,” Warriors interrupted, ignoring her flinching, “we know.”

“But,” Twilight said more tactfully, “we were wondering why Zelda and Ravio told us two separate stories. Zelda said you only found his... and Ravio said you fell in love with him.”

“I, um,” tears welled in her eyes a bit, “I don’t know where Ravio got that idea! He must’ve misunderstood me when I told him Link was the Hero and I was just doing heroic things and...”

“Marin,” Wind walked up to her, “it’s okay, you don’t have to lie.”

Marin then burst into tears. She covered her face with her, Link’s, blue cap that was hanging on her wardrobe. Wind’s big brother instinct kicked in and he tried to calm her down. 

“We aren’t mad,” he assured her, “we just want to know why you lied.”

“You don’t want to know,” she backed away from them, “I don’t want you to know.”

She leaned on the wall for support and breathed heavily. She looked around the room, like she was trapped. 

“It’s true,” she admitted, “I-I, me and Link, he was still alive when he washed up on my home. We fell in love and that’s why I’ve been playing the a hero, because he can’t anymore. I told Her Highness to not mention it to anyone, Ravio too, but he’s bad at keeping secrets.”

“How did he actually die, then?” Sky hated himself for asking. 

Marin’s throat caught on a sob, “please, don’t ask me that! Anything, but that!”

“Marin,” Twilight said in a calming voice, “we are just trying to understand. The Hero of Legend was one of us, we need to know what happened to him. It could have something to do with the shado-“

“Don’t mention that thing!” She screamed, “that monster has been haunting my nightmares for the past months!”

“Why?” She didn’t know who asked, “you’ve never seen the shadow.”

Marin was in hysterics now, “stop asking questions!”

She curled up into a ball and seemed to be trying to meld into the wall. She rocked back in forth, singing roughly with the occasional sob thrown in. 

“Did you see them going off to fight? Children of the barricade who didn’t last the night. Did you see them lying where they died? Someone used to cradle them and kiss them when they cried. Did you see them lying side by side...”

She trailed off, repeated the verse over and over again. All the Links stared and tossed each other glances. 

“What do we do?” Wild mouthed. 

“I don’t know,” Twilight replied.

No one moved until Marin started a new verse. 

“Who will wake them?” She shook violent, “no one ever will! No one ever told them that a summer’s day can kill...”

She finally quieted down. She stopped moving. Everyone waited to see what would happen. 

“Marin?” Wind inched forward, cautiously. 

“Who will wake them?” She repeated and stared at the ceiling, “no one ever will.”

“It’s going to be alright,” Wind moved a little closer. 

“I...”

“Yes?”

“I... I killed him!”

“What?!”

The next moment happened so quickly that no one could react. Marin jumped up and slammed her wardrobe open. She grabbed something that was hanging on the inside, a bracelet exactly like Ravio’s, and slipped in on. No one could stop her as she jumped into the wall with magic and disappeared. 

Ravio knew this was going to happen. His goodbye message wasn’t one of well wishes and happy tidings, but a secret message. She could visit anytime. She could escape to Lorule. 

Hyrule looked at the wall, “what now?”

“Did she just admit to killing the Hero?” Sky asked in befuddlement. 

“There’s no way that’s true,” Wild shook his head, “Princess Zelda wouldn’t lie about that and cover it up.”

“She said Marin blamed herself for his death,” Four recalled, “maybe this is what she was talking about?”

“Regardless,” Time stood up straight, “we need to find her.”

“But how?” Warriors asked, “the only portals into Lorule seem to be through cracks in this world, not the shadow portals!”

“An excellent deduction,” a new voice smirked. Everyone turned around to see the Hero in the photos and paintings, but covered completely in darkness and with red eyes. “I’ve never really cared about that world. Too much desolate waste, even for me!”

They all drew their swords. Dark Link didn’t seem concerned, quite the contrary. It smirked and leaned on the door frame that it was standing in. 

“The shadow!” Warriors growled. 

“Oh, no!” It cried in mock terror, “I’m so afraid. You can’t hurt me without hurting yourselves, so put away those sticks. Besides, I prefer Dark Link, that’s more fitting than Shadow. Don’t you think, Vio?”

It directed his last comment to Four, who seemed to get the hidden meaning. He sneered and moved his sword closed to his chest. 

“Are you finally ready to fight us?” Sky glared. 

Dark Link shrugged, “always ready for a fight, but it’s not the time.”

“When is the time?” Time asked.

“As soon as all of you are here,” it answered, “you are still missing one.”

Hyrule glanced back at the crack, “Marin? You can’t have her!”

Dark Link chuckled, “sure. I have been waiting for months to finally see all of you together, and I finally figured out how to do it.”

It took a step forward. Everyone tensed up more and blocked the path to the back of the house. Dark Link rolled its eyes. 

“It’s cute,” it smiled, “that you think you can stop me.”

It dramatically raised its hand and snapped. A magical shockwave shot out from its fingers that tossed all the Links back. Most of them hit their heads and immediately were knocked out. Only Hyrule kept conscience, but just barely. 

“Pathetic,” Dark Link sighed and Hyrule could make out it going to the back wall, “might as well use what’s already here.”

It snapped it’s fingers again and the wall imploded. In the wall’s place was now a dark portal that Dark Link stared at. 

“It’s been quite a long time,” it declared, “let’s see how the Dark World is fairing.”

The last thing Hyrule saw before passing out was Dark Link walking through the portal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter’s named after the term Eleven O’Clock Song, which is basically the point in a musical where the stakes are higher than ever. 
> 
> The song used is Turning from Les Mis, a song that takes place after the action. Continuing my theme of somehow always using songs that fit that come from the wrong plot area.


	6. Requiem

“Hyrule,” a voice cried, “Hyrule!”

Groggily, Hyrule’s eyes opened, but he was fully awake after he was slapped. 

“Hyrule!” Warriors was the one who slapped him, “finally, we’ve been waiting for five minutes. We need to go!”

“Huh,” he tried to recall what happened last, “oh. Oh, Marin!”

He stood up and saw everyone else ready to go. They were all staring at the portal, which looked different than normal. Instead of its normal curved pyramid shape, it was flat against the wall and organic. It was also not the same color, being more blue than red. 

“What did Dark Link do?” Hyrule asked. 

“We don’t know,” Twilight answered, “but we’ve already agreed to go through it. What ever horrors lie beyond, we must help Marin.”

“He’s after her,” Wild agreed, “so we have to stop him.”

“Everyone ready?” Time asked. After a chorus of yeses, he walked forward. 

With an uneasy breath, Hyrule entered the portal last. His vision was filled with dark magic and he almost choked on it. Once he was out of the portal, he witnessed the horribleness of... a tropical island?

“This,” Four looked around, “is not as bad as I thought it would be.”

There were palm trees all around and a calming breeze. The ocean was quiet, but still gave the ambiance that it was known for. In the distance, seagulls could be heard. 

“Where are we?” Wind asked, “this isn’t any island I recognized.”

“Island...” Hyrule thought, “this must be Koholint, Marin’s home!”

But didn’t the crack in the wall lead to Lorule? Did Dark Link redirect the portal’s power to come here? Was Marin here?

“Oh, yeah,” Four snapped, “this is where the Hero of Legend would’ve died, maybe Dark Link wanted to go here for whatever reason.”

“No use talking,” Time commanded, “we need to move and find that creature before it does any harm.”

As they walked, the group took at how nice the island was. Sure, this was a life or death mission, but, man, it was beautiful. It almost made Hyrule question why Marin would leave. 

Eventually, they reached a town with a couple buildings in sight. Two kids ran up to them and jumped all around. 

“New people! New people!” One shouted. 

“No one ever comes to Koholint!” The other spoke. 

“No one, no one!”

Twilight frowned, “no one? So you haven’t see a girl in a blue dress? Or a guy with glowing red eyes?”

“No one’s eyes glow! Are you talking about the singer?” 

“You know Marin? She’s by the rooster!”

“Why does she never leave there?”

“I don’t know, I’m just a kid.”

As quickly as they came, the two kids ran away. 

“That was weird,” Warriors pointed out, “but now we know where Marin is. I hope she’s alright.”

It turns out, she was alright. The Heroes walked to where the kids directed them and found Marin singing by some statue. She looked different though, odd, and she didn’t have her cap or anything else that she had when she left. 

“Sleepers wake, dreams will fade,” she sang with her back to them, “although we cling fast, was it real, what we saw? I believe...”

“Marin!” Hyrule called out to her. 

She turned around with a small “huh.” She looked at all of them with confusion. 

“Yes?” She tilted her head. 

“We were so worried,” Hyrule explained, “are you okay?”

She smiled awkwardly, “I’m okay? But, who are you? I’ve never seen any of you on the island before. Are you from out there?!”

Stars were practically in her eyes at the notion of them being from someplace else. Everyone looked at each other. 

“It’s us,” Four prodded, “all of us are Link.”

She giggled, “you are all collectively named Link? Well, okay, Link! It’s nice to meet all of you.”

She went back to singing. It was almost robotic how she swayed back and forth while singing the same notes over and over again. And how she immediately stopped talking to them, just like the kids. 

“Amnesia?” Wild wanted not to think about that. 

Then, out of nowhere, Dark Link’s voice hovered all around them. 

“No, no,” it muttered, “too soon. Let’s go a little farther.”

“What?!” Hyrule raised his sword and his vision sort of fizzled out of control. The world seemed to fade into a black void, before it popped back into place. 

“What just happened?” Sky felt like he was about vomit, “did the world just disappear?”

“New people! New people!” The kids appeared again. 

“No one ever comes to Koholint.”

Even thought they still stood in the same location that they talked to Marin, the kids found them again and said the same lines. They even moved the same. The only different thing was that Marin was now in front of a building. 

“This is weird,” Wind declared. 

“What was that blackness?” A kid asked. 

“Maybe you blinked! I don’t know, I’m just a kid.”

The children ran off once more. Over by the house, Marin’s singing wafted over. 

“Lost in dreams, we sleep on, tossing and turning. Stay with me, by my side, never leave...”

“Are we going crazy?” Wild raised an eyebrow. 

Dark Link’s voice returned, “still too soon. Show up!”

And the world faded again. It was almost as if the very being of the island was being reset with them staying still. When it returned, Marin was no where to be seen. 

“Where is Marin?” The two kids ran up to them. 

“She’s at Animal Village!”

“Wasn’t she just here? Don’t ask me, I’m just a kid.”

“What is going on!” Sky yelled as they vanished for a third time.

“One more time,” Dark Link’s voice sighed. For the forth time in row, the world was swept out from under their feet and reinstated. 

This time, thankfully, the world was a little different. Instead of it being midday like it was before, it was now sunset. No one was in the village, no children and no Marin. There was talking being heard on the wind. 

“Marin, please,” an unknown voice begged, “don’t sing that song.”

“Why?” Marin’s voice asked, “you usually love it.”

“Where are they?” Twilight looked around.

“It sounds like it’s coming back from the beach,” Wind pointed. 

They all ran back where they came, hoping for no more resets or whatever those were. 

“What about something else?” The voice asked hopefully, “I learned a new one recently...”

“Just tell me why you don’t want me to sing it,” Marin sighed, “you are being weirder than usual today.”

“...”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m going to the Wind Fish tomorrow.”

“Oh,” they could hear the sadness in Marin’s voice, “you’re leaving?”

“There’s something you need to know, Marin. About me, about the island!”

“What is it?”

Before the voice could respond, the Links made it to the beach and spotted the two. Marin noticed them first and gasped. Her partner turned and raised his sword at them. 

“Who are you?” The Hero of Legend demanded to know.

He looked different than what they saw him wearing in photos, with a full green tunic on instead of a red one, but it was him. His face was fierce and he put a protective hand in front of Marin. 

“I’ve never met you before,” he continued, “and strangers don’t come to this island.”

“We know,” Hyrule said, his breath stolen from his chest. What?!

“What the absolute f*ck is going on?” Wind cried into the sky. 

“Time travel,” Time answered nonchalantly, “have we not been doing that for the past year?”

“Not like this,” Wild shook his head, “this is more on par with a glitch of Sheikah tech than magical time travel!”

“I said,” the Hero repeated again, “who are you?”

“Link,” Marin frowned, “maybe they came to the island like you! Maybe their boat crashed, too.”

He shook his head, “that’s involved in what I want to tell you, but not now.”

“Greetings,” Time nodded, “my name is Link, I am the Hero of Time. Am I speaking to the Hero of Legend?”

He stiffened, “the Hero of Time is a fairy tale. And what of it?”

“Hero of Legend?” Marin asked, “what are they talking about, Link?”

“I’ll tell you later.”

Time smirked, “we are time travelers. All of us are Heroes from our own time periods and we need help to stop a threat. Though, I’m sure Marin would be happy to explain this to you. If she stopped pretending, that is.”

The Hero looked at her, “Marin?”

She backed up, “what? Stop looking at me like that. I have no idea what he’s talking about!”

Hyrule knitted his eyebrows together, “that’s not true. Marin traveled with us for months and then disappeared through a portal. We were attacked by Dark Link before going through a portal to here.”

“I have never been off the island!” Marin protested, “and I’ve never met any of you before.”

The Hero believed her, “besides, even if I did buy this time travel and portal story, there is no way to get here with either of those things.”

“Why?” Four asked, “how else would we be here.”

The Hero scoffed, “clearly you aren’t actually he- Marin, we need to go!”

“What?” 

“Do you trust me?” He put away his sword and gave her his hand. 

“Y-yes, of course,” she smiled, “I love you.”

He gave a sad smile. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled out an ocarina. With a quick glare to the Heroes, he played a quick tune, and the two of them swirled up into the sky. 

“Where’d they go?!” Wind shouted in annoyance.

“You’d better hurry,” Dark Link’s voice rang throughout the beach, “they’re running toward the mountain.”

They all jumped, looking for the source, but were unable to find it. 

“This is a part of its plan,” Twilight growled, “what do we do?”

“There isn’t much we can do,” Four retorted, “we have to follow them. If the Hero of Legend is still alive right now, then maybe we can save him and stop his death.”

“But what if that’s what Dark Link wants?” Warriors mused. 

“We can’t leave him to die!” Wind shrieked. 

“What about Marin,” Sky asked, “if she told the truth about killing the Hero, what if this is-“ 

“No!” Hyrule protested, “she wouldn’t do something like that.”

“We don’t know what she is capable of.”

“Regardless,” Time interrupted, “we need to find them, so let’s not argue any longer.”

Weirdly, finding the Hero and Marin wasn’t that hard. Anytime they looked for a direction, something compelled them to go one way or another. No one could explain it, but it was almost like the island was pushing them to their end goal. 

“Hoo!” An owl hooted and Time glared at it, shutting it up. 

“Jeez, Time,” Wind said, “what do you have against owls?”

He didn’t answer and they kept running. 

The mountain loomed in their sights, and it made them all feel small. The weird giant egg on top of it didn’t help, either. There was a path from where they were that went all the way to the top. On the stairs were the Hero and Marin. 

“That’s not true!” They heard Marin cry. 

The Hero held her hands, “it is! Everything points to it: the monsters, the shrines, that bird.”

She closed her eyes, “then what about those people? Why are they here?”

“They must be trying to stop me,” he explained, “there’s no way that they should be on this island.”

She sobbed, “why are we here then? Are you telling me this to torture me?”

“Marin, no! I-“

“You’re telling me, just to leave me to die! I hate you! I HATE YOU!”

Marin broke down, falling to her knees and cried. The Hero stared at the egg with a morbid expression. He then handed her his hat off of his head. 

“Marin,” he whispered, “I love you more than I could ever say, or you could ever sing. I’m not here to wake the Wind Fish…”

“Link!” Four yelled up the mountain, putting a stop to the conversation. 

“Not these guys,” he groaned and looked at Marin, “believe me. I’ll be right back.”

With a flip, the Hero jumped off the mountain and landed, somehow not hurt, next to the group. He pulled out his sword and smirked. 

“Persistent,” he observed, “that’s more than any of your monster friends could say.”

“Monsters?” Hyrule scrunched up his face. 

“I told you the truth,” Time stepped forward, “we are from the future, Marin did travel with us.”

“She clearly doesn’t know you,” he waved off the statement, “so try to find a better cover story.”

“We know your sister,” Wind added. 

He paused for a moment, “how do you know her?”

“Marin introduced us,” Four explained, “she’s a really nice Princess.”

The Hero seemed to be thinking for a moment. He looked between them and Marin and the egg. He mumbled to himself. 

“Can’t be a part…wouldn’t know…Marin’s never…”

He looked up, realization in his eyes, “I know what I have to do!”

Without warning, he booked it up the mountain path. He ran all the way back to Marin and helped her stand up. With a quick flurry of movement, he pulled out some rod and fired a fireball at them, burning a log in the middle of the path so no one could reach them. 

“STOP HIM!” Dark Link’s voice commanded. 

The Links all ran forward, having no other say in the matter. They had no idea what he was going to do, nor what was even going on. They needed answers. 

“Marin,” he looked her in the eye, “originally, I was going to tell you about all of this and then walk down the mountain with you, but now…”

“You’re going wake the Wind Fish,” she stated solemnly. 

He shook his head, “I’m not, but you are.”

“What?!” She shook her head, “I can’t!”

Link pushed, “you can. This island can’t survive, but you can still live! Whoever wakes the Wind Fish, they wake with him. It should be you.”

“W-what about you?” She cried. 

He smiled, “I’ll be alive as long as you are.”

The Links were fighting with the fire. Time pulled out his bow and commanded everyone to move back. He fired a single ice arrow and the fire died. 

The Hero looked down at them. 

“Hurry!” He told Marin, “sing the Ballad of the Wind Fish.”

“Uh,” she stuttered as Link hugged her tightly, “what if the worst comes? If someday this sweet reverie ends, we too, our memories, for real, fade us by…”

The Hero, still hugging her, waved his hands. Suddenly, beautiful instruments appeared around the two and began to play along. He glared at the approaching Heroes. 

“Dream with me, by the sea,” Marin smiled at her Hero, “we watch the waves crash. Hold my hand, think of me, and I’ll-“

“Stop!” A voice interrupted the music. 

Marin stopped singing and the instruments vanished from the air. The voice appeared from the behind everyone, back at the bottom of the path. There, inexplicably, was Marin, the Marin that the Heroes knew, dressed in her adventuring clothes and wearing her Hero’s cap. 

“Don’t you dare, Link!” She cried, pointing a finger up at him. 

“M-Marin?” He stuttered, “you’re…”

“You wake the Wind Fish on your own,” she demanded, “or I will make you.”

The Hero looked at the Marin in his arms, who was really confused at what was going on, and back down at the new Marin. The Heroes in the middle couldn’t decide where to direct their attention. 

“I guess you’ll have to make me,” he smirked down at her, “but you were never good at racing against the clock, my dear.”

“Link?” The old Marin looked to him for an explanation. 

“It’s alright, Marin,” he calmed her, “just keep singing. I’ll take care of these nightmares.”

And the battle began.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you confused? Probably, but all will be explained!
> 
> The song used was the lyrics to the Ballad of the Wind Fish. 
> 
> One or two chapters to go!


	7. Lullaby

The moments that followed were confusing. The Hero of Legend tossed some more fireballs around the old Marin, giving her just enough space to not burn herself, yet still be protected. He then jumped to the Links’ spot of midway up the moment. 

“You guys want to do this the hard way,” he leveled his sword at them, “or the hard way? I’m not picky.”

“Why won’t anyone explain what’s going on?” Wind huffed, “why are there two Marins?!”

The Hero gave him a look that said “really?” 

“You really don’t have any idea where you are,” he chuckled, “leave this to the professionals, kid, and you won’t get hurt. Wouldn’t want your last moments to be painful.”

“That’s a threat!” Wind declared, pulling out his own weapon. 

“Nah,” the Hero frowned, “just the truth.”

“You’re one to talk about truth, Link,” the new Marin marched her way up to them, “what ever happened to telling me everything?”

He rolled his eyes, “I did, clearly.”

“You didn’t tell me the consequences,” she argued. 

“It doesn’t matter now,” he leered at all of them, “you can’t change the past.”

“No,” she smiled, “but I can change your mind.”

Sky raised his hand, “can you two please stop talking cryptically?”

The Hero sighed and gestured to the world before them, “a bunch of dunces! You’re in a dream! Nothing here is real and neither are you.”

“What?” Wild questioned. 

“That’s why it feels like that,” Wind’s eyes widened, “it’s like with Oshus...”

“The Wind Fish is about to wake,” he looked at the old Marin, who was watching from a far, “and with that you will all fade away, so don’t make it harder on yourselves.”

“But we’re real,” Hyrule stated, “we came here through a physical portal.”

He closed his eyes, “heh, if only that were true.”

Marin cleared her throat, getting everyone’s attention, “guys, back away.”

“Marin-“

She glared at Four, “this is my battle. Make yourselves useful and stop her from singing.”

They all stared at her, mouths agape. It wasn’t until Time nodded sharply and gestured for them to follow him up the path that they moved. The Hero of Legend watched them, carefully planning something in his head, and smiled at the new Marin. 

“It’s symbolic, I guess,” he stared wistfully, “that it’s you who I’m fighting. Not some monster made of darkness, but my very own nightmare.”

She bared her teeth, “why do you have to be so selfless? Can’t you save yourself for once in your life?!”

He looked up at the old Marin, “never. Marin, start singing!”

Hesitantly, the girl nodded and began her song over again. The Hero waved his hands once more and the instruments appeared in the paths of the Heroes. They created a sort of barrier that would take some shoving to remove them. 

“Clock’s ticking,” he got into a fighting stance, “are you ready, my dear?”

Marin pointed her rapier, “I’ve been dreaming of this moment. You will not die today!”

Immediately, Marin tried to slash at him, which was blocked easily. He attacked back and she dodged. They moved back and forth, up and down the path, careful not to fall.

“A bit hypocritical,” he grunted, “that you are trying to kill me, but claim that I will not die.”

“I’m not killing you,” she bit her cheek, “but I know I can’t stop her if you aren’t distracted.”

“Bait, huh?” He asked, “what about your friends, then? They seem a bit incompetent. Do they come from me or you?”

“They’re real,” she stabbed, “just like I am. Just like you are!”

“That’s what all dreams say.”

“What are these things?!” Twilight asked in annoyance. So far, the group had only managed to move two of the instruments out of the way and the song was half over. 

“You know what this is about,” Marin cried, “why don’t you just wake up?!”

They were locked in a standstill, both swords clashing. She was getting nervous, though, because her sword would definitely break first. It was only a matter of time. 

“I have no idea what you are talking about,” he glared, “I am simply giving up my life for someone much more important.”

“But she isn’t real!”

“And I am?” He screamed. 

With one final push, Marin’s sword flew out of her hands and she fell onto her back. Her arms moved quickly to block her head from hitting the hard rocks under her. She looked up to see the Hero walking away. 

“It was good to see you again,” he sighed, “at least a more realistic you.”

He smiled bittersweetly as the old Marin sang the final measure. The Links only made it passed four of the instruments. The world started to fade into white and the old Marin closed her eyes. 

Then...

She gasped and looked down. In the old Marin’s heart was an arrow that pierced through her back and was now staining her dress red. Her eyes watered and she collapsed, dead before she hit the ground. She didn’t finish the song. 

Everyone looked down to see the new Marin breathing heavily and holding up her bow.

“Marin?” Hyrule choked on air. 

She lowered her bow and shouted at the Hero, “wake up! Nothing’s stopping you now.”

Said Hero was staring at her with fear, like he couldn’t believe that she did that. He didn’t seem so much sad, either, at the girl’s death, just confused. 

“Why did you do that?” He shouted angrily, “why do you want me to wake up?!”

“Because I don’t want to be responsible for your death,” her voice shook, “please. I know you know what’s really going on, there’s no reason to continue lying.”

He frowned, before walking back down to her. The Links watched in shock as the Hero rammed into Marin with a hug. Without pausing, she hugged back. 

“It’s really you,” he cried into her shoulder. 

“Yes!” She smiled, “I’m here.”

“My plan worked,” he pointed out, “you’re alive.”

“And you’re an idiot,” she laughed, “I thought I would never see you again. I thought you were dead.”

He released his grip but still held her hands, “how are you here?”

Marin frowned, “something named Dark Link brought us here, it wanted all the Heroes together for whatever reason. It needs you.”

“Dark Link,” he growled, “I’m familiar. This is all the more reason for me to stay here.”

“No!” She shook her head, “I am not leaving you again.”

“Hey!” Wind cupped his hands to his mouth and yelled down to them, “one question, what the literal f*ck is going on? Why’d you shoot... yourself?”

The two looked at each other and chuckled. The Heroes took that as a sign that they could come down and the parties met. 

“Sorry about all of this,” the Hero waved to everything, “when you asked Marin to stop pretending, she truly didn’t know what was going on. I was the one pretending.”

“Why?” Twilight asked, “please explain.”

He looked to Marin, “it all started when I was traveling to Labrynna and I washed ashore on Koholint Island.”

“And he met me,” Marin wrapped her hand around his, “all the while, there were monsters attacking us, so Link defeated them.”

He nodded, “I lived on the island for two years for me, seeing no way off of it, and fell in love. But, one day, I discovered something. The whole island was the figment of the Wind Fish’s dream and, if it woke, everyone would disappear. It was pretty obvious looking back on it, as no one ever came to the island and no one ever aged.”

Marin hit the back of his head and he groaned. 

“Link told me all of this right before he went to the mountain. He then tricked me into waking up the Wind Fish so that I could live and he could stay behind and die!”

He sighed, “I figured out that whoever woke the Wind Fish would also wake up, I decided Marin deserved that.”

“I wasn’t even real!”

“To me you were.”

“You’re an idiot.”

“But I’m your idiot,” he gave a goofy grin that made Marin laugh. 

Everyone processed that information. Wind understood pretty quickly, but everyone else was on the fence. 

“So,” Hyrule remembered, “when you said you killed the Hero of Legend, you just blamed yourself for him sacrificing himself?”

She nodded. 

“Then how are we here now,” Four asked, “if the island disappeared.”

“Oh,” the Hero crossed his arms, “that’s because that island was the dream of the Wind Fish. This is my dream. Everything here was made up from my memories of the island. That Marin, for instance, is nothing but my imagination. And my dreams are a lot less life like than the Wind Fish’s.”

“And how can a dead man dream?” 

“Because,” he dragged out the word, “Marin was never real, but I was. That caused some problems, because if I woke up, she would’ve vanished into nothingness, but there’s no where for me to go. So...”

Marin finished, “what is left of Link is inside of me now. I didn’t realize until after I ran into Dark Link that that was the case. I just didn’t know how to get him out.”

“That’s why I asked if you all were from Marin,” he agreed, “my soul inside of her created this jumble of recollections that mixed together.”

“So,” Wild tried to get a grasp on what was going on, “you spent two years in a dream, woke Marin up, stayed inside her head, and we somehow portalled into three layers of dreams?”

He smirked, “pretty much yeah.”

“But,” Twilight spoke slowly, “that doesn’t explain how *we* are here. Or you Marin. You said that no one could get here, and I assume that’s because this is a dream.”

The Hero shook his head, “assume everything I’ve said to you before this moment was a lie. If this was the original Koholint, then yes, you couldn’t portal here. But, since this is a mortal’s dream and not a deity’s, it is easier to get into.”

Marin looked down, “after running away into Lorule, Dark Link followed and knocked me out. He opened a portal directly into my mind and it took all my energy to create a form that could even exist here.”

“My dream has been going on a loop for years,” the Hero added, “so, that glitching that happened earlier was just him messing with the dream I bet, and skipping it forward to this point of the story.”

“So we are physically in your mind right now, but you aren’t?” Time looked for an answer. 

“Yes,” she sighed, “I think this is so that Dark Link can get all of you together.”

The Hero backed away from all of them, “and that’s why I am staying. Whatever that creature has planned isn’t good.”

“Yeah, fat chance,” Marin grabbed his arm. 

“Were you always this rude?” He asked in annoyance. 

She smiled, “no, I got that from you.”

“And my amazing fashion sense, I see.”

“We’re already here,” Hyrule beamed, “so why don’t we save you and stop the shadow together!”

The Hero tilted his head, “do I have a say in this?”

“Nope!” Marin kissed him on the cheek, “you know what to do.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he pulled out his ocarina and grinned, “see you later, I guess. Marin, will you help me do the honors.”

She nodded furiously and spoke one last time to the group, “you might want to get to the portal before this happens. The void is not pleasant.”

“Don’t have to tell us twice,” Sky thanked. 

Once the Heroes all left the mountain and were given enough time to go back to the portal. Marin and Legend kissed each other once. 

“It really is wonderful to see you again,” Marin looked at the egg, “I can’t wait to tell you about all the places I’ve flown to.”

He nodded, “I can’t wait to hear it. shall we?”

He waved his hands a final time and the instruments reappeared. He starting playing with his ocarina. Once she was sure it was safe for her to start, Marin sang. 

“Dream with me, by the sea. We watch the waves crash. Hold my hand, think of me, and I’ll fly...”

The world faded to white.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I used the song of Ballad of the Wind Fish again, but it still fits! Consider this chapter and the last one to be like a sort of two parter. 
> 
> The next chapter will probably be the last, so thank you for reading this!
> 
> I know this is confusing, so I’ll answer any questions you have. If you have multiple questions, you can talk to me on the LU discord where I go by Script-the-Skeleton.


	8. Finale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end.

The world returned and Marin found herself lying next to Link in Lorule. Link was still wearing his green tunic and Marin somehow reverted back to her adventuring clothes, even though she feel asleep with her day clothes. 

She blinked and noticed Ravio standing over her. 

“Mrs. Hero!” He cried, “you’re awake!”

“Ravio?” She sat up, “shouldn’t you be with Her Highness?”

He shook his head, “I stayed behind in case you showed up, and, when you did, some creepy dude knocked you out and disappeared.”

Link woke up with a groan, “where are we?”

He sat up and rubbed his head, not noticing the new person. Ravio leaned over at him with excitement. 

“Is this?” He buzzed. 

“Ravio,” Marin introduced, “this is Link.”

Link finally got a look at him, “why is there a second me? Did Dark Link evolve since I was gone?”

“How dare!” Ravio laughed, “I’m your Lorulean counterpart!”

“What?”

“I’ll explain later,” Marin helped them both stand up, “we need to go back to Hyrule, that’s where everyone else is.”

Link nodded, “please. I’ve been stuck in these clothes for four years, I need to change.”

“Why did you wear winter clothes to an island?”

“I just got done controlling seasons! I was prepared for anything.”

Ravio, speechless still at meeting his double for the first time, helped them go through the portal in the wall. They exited back into the house, with the portal being a crack once again and not a dark magic portal. 

“It’s good to be home,” Link looked around, “though it is more different than what I remember.”

Marin blushed, “your sister gave me your house when I told her what happened.”

“Yeah, Zelda,” he sighed, “she’s going to kill me.”

“No, she isn’t,” she handed Link some of his old clothes that she kept in a box all those years. 

“You haven’t seen her in fighting tournaments. Blood of the goddess ain’t nothing to sneeze at. How much does she know?”

Marin answered, “everything. I thought she deserved to know. Though, I never told her that I thought you were still alive.”

“Let me change and we’ll get going then.”

“Alright, I’ll be outside, Link!”

She left him alone, closing the door behind her with a happy sigh. Her smile was removed from her face quickly when she witnessed what was going on in front of the building. 

The other eight Links all had their backs to her and were looking at Dark Link, who was standing there with a satisfied expression. She sensed the danger and readied her sword. 

“Ah, singer-girl!” It called out to her, “it’s weird to see you as one person, but I am so glad you enjoyed the present I got you.”

“You knocked me out in another dimension!”

It waved its hand, “but your boyfriend’s back. All I ask in return is that he stops being a coward and that he come out here.”

“What do you want?” Time glared. 

“To fight you!” It shouted, “isn’t it obvious! Now that all the Heroes are here, I can end you all at once.”

“That’s a stupid plan,” Wild commented, “all those portals to fight us at once? Why not kill us one at a time?”

“Shut up, Wild!” Four snapped, “but, yeah, that is pretty dumb.”

Dark Link smiled mischievously, “I’ve thought this out perfectly. You lot are a bunch of self sacrificing idiots, so a few of you wouldn’t care that any pain dealt to me is returned. You would kill me and yourself in one fell swoop and I would be done. But, with all of you together...”

It shifted into different forms. It was first the Hero of Legend, but then it moved through the Hero of Time and the Hero of the Wild. It stayed in the body of the Hero of Winds. 

“None of you would dare hurt me if it meant hurting one of your friends,” it pitched its voice higher and mimicked Wind’s mannerisms. 

“Well,” the door behind Marin opened and Link stepped out, “that’s where you’re wrong.”

They all turned to see the Hero of Legend out of his green tunic and in his red one. He was missing his hat, which Marin still wore, but other than that he was how he looked in his paintings. Balanced on his shoulders was the evolved form of the Master Sword, the Tempered Sword. 

“My sense of nihilism is strong,” he leaned to the side, “and I know none of these people. So, I have no qualms about fighting you.”

“Gee, thanks,” Twilight looked at him. 

“Your welcome,” he teased, “so, let me get a catch up on the plot before we fight, since you got one from me. Cause I am still in the dark, and I forgot what the tall one said before.”

“Seriously?” Dark Link put his hands on his hips. 

Marin spoke quickly, “all of these people are Heroes from across the ages, they were brought together by Dark Link and I’m here by accident. They’re all named Link, as well, so they go by nicknames based of their titles.”

He smiled, “thanks. Well, kneel down, peasants, and call me Prince of Hyrule.”

“No,” Warriors said bluntly. 

“Joking,” the Hero chuckled, “call me Legend. Now, are we fighting or what?!”

They launched into battle. Dark Link wasted no time and switched into the form of Warriors, blocking an attack from one of the Links with his shield. Legend and Marin ran into the fray, though Marin circled the back, not wanting to hurt any of her friends. 

The first injury in the battle happened two minutes in, even though most of them were being really careful and were just trying to capture Dark Link. It was in the form of Wild and Legend struck its shoulder blade with the tip of his sword. Not a bad injury, but Wild still hissed at the blood flowing out of his back. 

The whole group danced around actually stabbing. Sadly, no one had a net that was big enough to hold the monster, but they did try other ways of subduing it. Sky tried to trip it with his sail cloth and Warriors with his scarf. Wind at first hit it with a bunch of boomerangs, but that just lead to concussions, so he stopped. 

“Do you have anything that could be useful?” Legend asked Marin, “you seem to have done some stuff since I last saw you.”

“Nothing useful,” Marin thought about all of her adventures, “I went to Labrynna and Lorule and didn’t get much from that, maybe the Ice Rod could help. And Hytopia got me nothing but weird outfits-“

“Wait, Labrynna?” He asked.

“Yeah, I went there after you told me you were going to meet a friend. I wanted to tell Nayru that you wouldn’t be meeting with her and then everything spiraled. She taught me some magic at the very least, so I could try to use that!”

“Marin.”

“Yes?”

“Doesn’t Nayru specialize in portals? Some of which are one way portals.”

Her mind exploded, “I forgot about that! It wouldn’t be permanent, but we could send Dark Link somewhere far back in time and delay him until we have a plan.”

“I’ll distract it. Can I actually borrow that Ice Rod?”

Marin nodded and handed him the item, simultaneously pulling out her lyre. She plucked a few notes to make sure it was alright and waited for an opening.

Dark Link now looked like Legend again and turned its glowing eyes on the original. 

“What are you planning?” It asked, moving out of the way of a swipe from Twilight, “you and your girlfriend think you can defeat me. I hope you realize I am going easy on all of you! It’s been so long since I’ve had a proper fight, I want to relish this.”

“Hey, ugly,” Legend snarled, “thanks for the ride back home!”

“What?” It had no time to move as Legend spun the Ice Rod once and fired directly at it. The magic hit its mark and Dark Link froze in place. 

“M-marin!” Legend shivered, “n-now!”

She ran over and played some song and a portal opened beneath the frozen creature’s feet. She prayed that she chose a far enough time period as it popped out of existence. Legend warmed up after it was gone, so she knew they were safe. 

“That should give us a little time before it can find its way back,” Marin explained, still looking at the ground. 

“Sorry about your shoulder,” Legend walked over to Wild, “I didn’t actually mean to hit Dark Link.”

Wild waved him off, “I’ve had worse, it’s no big deal.”

“What now?” Twilight asked Marin, “we can’t stop that thing without killing one of us.”

“Light magic, maybe?” She suggested, “if it’s made out of dark magic, then that should work.”

“We could ask Zelda,” Legend smiled. 

“Yes!” Marin cheered, “Her Highness needs to see you.”

The other Links didn’t have much choice as they followed the couple to the castle. Marin was telling him about all the things she did while Legend listened intently. 

“Where did you learn to fight?” He asked. 

“Self taught mostly, but your sister taught me some moves.”

“I told you she’s terrifying!” 

The reunion was a sweet one. Legend knocked on the door to Princess Zelda’s office and she opened it absentmindedly. 

“My office is clos-“ she started before stopping in her tracks. She looked up at Legend with wide eyes. 

“Hey,” he waved and she tackled him in a hug. 

Between some muffled threats and a hug that could’ve broken Legend’s spine, he considered the reuniting a success. He and Marin explained what happened to him and, thankfully, the Princess held no grudge against Marin for not telling her for the few months that she knew that he was alive. 

Once they all calmed down, they talked about the Dark Link problem. Zelda sat behind her desk and looked at Legend, clearly saying that they would talk a lot more later. 

While they brainstormed ideas, Legend and Marin held each other. Whatever came, Marin thought, she would be there with them. There was no way she was leaving her Hero ever again.

The end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was really fun to write, especially in this short amount of time! I’m gonna take a small break from writing to draw some things for christmas now!
> 
> I’ll still answer any questions anyone has and thank you so much for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Please ask any questions, I will answer them!


End file.
